Thursday, February 12, 2015

BHS Spanish Exchange Blog

Last week we sent 24 students and 3 chaperones on a bi-annual Spanish Exchange. You can follow their journey and experience by reading their BLOG.

Below is a guest post from their blog about their trip to Segovia:

Today we visited the beautiful city of Segovia. Here are some posts from our students!

Ashwini

“Today, we went to Segovia, the town I stay in, along with my Spanish exchange family, and it was absolutely beautiful! There was so much history and architecture there that I could not figure where to look. Any amount of time felt too short. The intricacies, and the reasons behind the designs and statues really made me stand back in awe! We saw the famous aqueduct and the palace of Isabella, along with some other tourist sites. We had heard about both of them in class, however, actually seeing the structures, and stand on/next to them, brought it to a whole other level. Ramón told us many facts as we went around Segovia, one of them being that Walt Disney got his inspiration for Cinderella’s castle from the palace of Isabella! Overall, it was an extremely enjoyable day, and even though we climbed close to a 100 steps up and down, I would definitely say that it was well worth it. I was so reluctant to leave today, but I guess all things have to come to an end, and I can’t wait for all the adventures that await ustomorrow!”

Kristina

“Today we went to Segovia. Learning about the different architectural styles was very interesting. Segovia is absolutely beautiful. The castle was particularly my favorite, not only because of its unique style and beauty, but because it Cinderella’s castle in Disney Land was modeled after that! There was never a boring sight. Every step I took I saw a new scenery which never failed to amaze me. I am so happy that I am able to go on this trip with some of my close friends and make new friendships that will last a lifetime.”

Ada

“Segovia, like the rest of Spain, was beautiful. When we pulled up to our stop, we saw the ancient aqueducts dating back to the Roman Empire. It was long, so long that I could not see the end, or even where it continued. It was tall, too, and had those large, Roman arches that I had only seen on calendars and in pictures. From the aqueducts, we walked along the roads to a castle. One thing I really love about these ancient cities are the roads. They are literally stone roads, narrow, with tall buildings stretching above you into the skyline. If you have ever been to Harry Potter World in Florida, recall the streets of England they had mimicked, and you’ll have a pretty good sense of what the streets felt like. Additionally, the streets are packed with little shops and quaint little cafés where tourists can find interesting curios and yummy treats. I had ordered hot chocolate and porras, which was a very similar meal to one I had had before, in the heart of New Orleans. Porras are a type of bread, made crispy and topped with sugar, that is usually eaten with hot chocolate. Beignets, most famously made in Cafe Du Monde, is also bread that is fried, topped with sugar, and eaten with chocolate. I was thoroughly surprised by this similarity! The castle that we saw later was on the edge of a cliff and looked like the Hogwarts castle from the outside. It was breathtaking!”

Jillian

“Segovia was both beautiful and painful. About an hour away, the bus ride wasn’t bad though it reeked something fierce. The aqueduct was impressive and Ramón was ever the great tour guide. We also saw the cathedral which was massive. During our break, a group of us decided to find a café rather than going shopping. We all got churros con chocolate which may be the most delicious thing I have ever tasted. We walked through the Alcazar and saw the magnificent architecture. The most difficult part, besides the cold, was climbing the tower. Though the view was worth it, 152 skinny, twisty stone steps was rough. From below, the castle was even more impressive, but again, too many stairs. Every single one of us was gasping for breath at the top. Segovia is a beautiful and old city, and I had a lot of fun there today.Segovia was both beautiful and painful.”